Blue Ribbon Award Winners for 2005

December
Peggy Tucker’s nomination for the December Blue Ribbon Award was submitted by Kathy Winters, Dawn Ellis, and Dr. Andy Novobilski. Winters and Ellis say Tucker, executive secretary in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, worked diligently to attend to staff and students while computer science administrative assistant, Paula Klintworth, was on medical leave. “Peggy provides help in so many forms,” said Winters. “She will tackle any problem ranging from bug removal, dark halls, travel, advice and a listening ear. Peggy is always willing to help the faculty but more importantly, she makes sure the students are taken care of.” Novobilski adds that Tucker helped locate, hire and train an excellent student to work in the office part time. “Finally, when we unexpectedly found that Paula would be out for an additional amount of time, Peggy stepped forward and continued to provide support to us, even while her own workload increased with the transition from summer to the fall semester,” Novobilski said.

NovemberGinny Reese, Assistant Director of Continuing Education and the recipient of the Blue Ribbon Award for November, has handled enrollment, publicity, and has assisted with many of the details to ensure the success of the summer Kodaly Institute, a workshop for music teachers. Dr. Lee Harris, Associate Professor and Acting Head of the Music Department, says last summer Reese arrived early in the morning to the Fine Arts Center to enable participants to pay the balances owed on their course fees, so that they would not have to miss their lunch and pay at the Continuing Education office. “She works very diligently to assist our program in the midst of a very busy time for her division, since they also run Youth University and Junior Camps in June,” said Dr. Lee Harris. “Ginny is always patient, cheerful and willing to respond to requests for help. She is a true professional in all of her interactions with the public and UTC colleagues. UTC is fortunate to have her as Assistant Director of Continuing Education.”

OctoberCarla Odom has long been an asset to the Lupton Library, according to co-worker Martha Rawlings. “She has been a dependable person,” Rawlings said. Odom has made many good decisions to help keep the department running smoothly, according to Rawlings. “I am sure there are others who could nominate her, but have not had the chance,” Rawlings said. Congratulations to Carla Odom, our October Blue Ribbon Recipient.

SeptemberLiz Walker deserves the Blue Ribbon for September because she takes care of everyone in Exercise Science, Health and Leisure Studies, according to Carol Oglesby, Operations Manager, Coordinator Work Place Wellness Center. Walker serves as support staff for athletic training as well as the Health and Human Performance faculty. She works with graduate assistants, graduate faculty and undergraduate faculty, and she participates in the smooth flow of research and grant paperwork. Walker has served as hospitality representative and is always available for extracurricular events such as Race for the Cure, AAU, and Southern Conference. “I have never heard a ‘no’ or ‘I’m too busy’ from Liz. Smiles are in abundance. I am lucky to have Liz as colleague and even more lucky because she is a friend,” said Oglesby.

August
A recent communication alumna from UTC says Linda Jenkins, Senior Custodian for Building Services, “takes so much pride in her work, everyone who is around her, even for a minute, knows how important she is to UTC.” Chloe Morrison, who nominated Jenkins for the Blue Ribbon Award, planned and taught the curriculum for the Girls Inc. Journalism Workshop last summer in Frist Hall. She got to know Jenkins and was grateful for her assistance. “With a big group of 14 year olds, we had a few spills. Ms. Linda was always so sweet and helpful when she had to clean up the mess our girls made,” Morrison said. “She is strong, funny and happy. We need more employees like Linda Jenkins.”

July
A new text book, online workbook, and lab component were welcome teaching tools for Spanish professors, but the online components needed the personal touch of Adam Trowbridge, Online Technologies Coordinator, to make them usable for faculty and students. Trowbridge, the go-to person when the Department of Foreign Languages needs assistance with Blackboard, has had to deal with many glitches in the new program, according to Dr. Katheryn A. Thompson, Assistant Professor of Spanish. “He has been in almost constant contact with the publisher and it’s technical reps, and has handled all of the downloads and activation for us, truly taking a huge load off our shoulders,” Thompson said. “This new program has been a major headache for him, and he has not complained once, but has regularly put in hour after hour to have the program loaded and ready to go, correctly and on time.”

June
When Inez Jones, senior Custodian in Brock Hall takes an annual leave day, everyone in the building notices. Since she was assigned as regular custodian in the building, she has far exceeded everyone’s expectations, according to Cindy Williams, Administrative Support Assistant III. “Inez came in and completely cleaned the building to a standard we had never experienced before,” Williams said. “She treats this building as though it is her home and she is expecting guests. You never see her sitting down or goofing off, but she does take the time to speak to students as the come and go to class.” Williams notes that Mary Parish, Assistant Custodial Supervisor, trusts Jones to train new custodial staff. “Everyone looks forward to seeing her every day. Our building would not be the same without her smile and positive attitude,” Williams said.

MayCheryl Fox, administrative secretary for the Department of Art, spent a recent Saturday night kindly assisting an art faculty member and her dog.

During the university’s spring break, Dr. Anne Lindsey attended a professional conference in Boston. She returned home late Friday evening, minus her luggage. Saturday evening she worked in her office for a couple of hours, then she checked her pocket by tapping her pant leg lightly to make sure her office keys were there.

“Just as the door was slamming shut, I gasped because I realized that what I had felt in my pocket was not my keys,” said Lindsey. “Now you might think all I had to do was call campus security to get back into my office, however, I am ‘off master.’ It’ was 9:30 Saturday night and there was no way to get any help.” A friend took Lindsey to her home in Tyner, but her problems were not over; Lindsey’s dog was locked in her car on Palmetto Street.

Lindsey left a message for Fox, who also keeps a set of office keys. Fox returned the phone call at 10:30 p.m. “I explained my situation and she couldn’t have been more accommodating. She said, ‘No problem! I’ll bring the keys by your house.’ Fox lives in Tyner.

“I figured I would call for a cab so as not to bother Cheryl any more than I already had. She arrived in 30 minutes and even offered to drive me back down to campus. How wonderful is that?” Lindsey said. By then it was 11 p.m. on Saturday night.

“If my story doesn’t convince the committee that Cheryl Fox truly deserves the Blue Ribbon Award this month, I can’t imagine anyone doing something more selfless and unexpected then what she did that Saturday night,” Lindsey said.

April
Provost John Friedl nominated his assistant Joan Dunn for the Blue Ribbon Award. Since Barbara Verhine became the Chancellor’s administrative assistant last December, Dunn “has shouldered the entire workload for the office,” Friedl said. “She has managed to keep up with important tasks, prioritize the workload and reassign those things that were not urgent. She has managed the office with skill and grace, never once complaining about the extra duties required of her. I cannot imagine a better example of service with special distinction.”

MarchCarol Oglesby, Operations Manager, Exercise, Health and Leisure Studies (EHLS) provides exemplary service to faculty, the EHLS Department, and the broader UTC community, according to Dr. Vicki Petzko, School Leadership Program. As coordinator of the “Workplace Wellness” program, Oglesby’s provides scheduling, arranges for instructors and teaches many of the classes. “My life is happier and healthier because of her work in this area,” Petzko said. Petzco also praises Oglesby’s effectiveness with students in the EHLS program. “As their instructor and supervisor in the wellness area, she is providing them with a pre-professional experience that will enhance their internships and ultimately their career performance,” Petzco said.

FebruaryMeredith Perry, Grants and Program Review, was nominated by Anne Gamble, United Way’s Project Ready for School, Sarah Sandefur, Teacher Preparation Academy, and Amye Warren, Department of Psychology for recently filing a pre-application for a Federal Department of Education Early Reading First grant. If the pre-application for “Project Rising STAR” (Strategies to Advance Reading) is successful, the partnership with Hamilton County Government, Hamilton County Department of Education, United Way’s Project Ready for School, Head Start, Signal Centers, Parents are First Teachers, the Chattanooga Housing Authority and UTC will move forward to write a full application for $4.5 million dollars to support the development of five preschool model sites to deliver a “best practices” literacy curriculum to nearly 400 three and four-year old children. Perry took the lead in the grant writing. “This involved the coordination of multiple players in the community delivering large amounts of materials to her. She completed the arduous task long before the submission deadline,” said a submission from Gamble, Sandefur, and Warren. “Moreover, she managed to make everyone on the grant writing team feel that their input was valued, and gave us all credit for our contributions without taking any for hers. She handled a potentially politically explosive situation with integrity and grace.”

JanuaryLayton Jackson, Library Associate II, has always been helpful to Dr. Sean Richards, Biological and Environmental Sciences, and Richards’ students. “He not only calls or emails to tell me about new books of interest when they arrive, but he also volunteers to pull books from the shelf and have the waiting for me when I walk to the library,” Richards said. Jackson also volunteers to help Richards keep his books on reserve up to date. “What’s more amazing is how he is always so cheerful. Layton is truly a refreshing individual who goes above and beyond what is required of him,” Richards said.